Hard drive arrays are commonly used to store information, and communicate that information with servers or other computers. Drive arrays in the art typically store a plurality of drives (normally 8, 16 or 24), placed adjacent to one another in a horizontal row or vertical column. Mobile servers and their accompanying hard drive arrays are becoming frequently used, particularly in industries like the film industry where large quantities of newly generated data must be stored.
Hard drives in use generate both heat and noise, and it is important that the temperature of and around the drives be controlled, as they may otherwise overheat and fail. The drives are often very tightly individually packed into metal trays, which are then inserted into an enclosed array that is typically made of steel. The hard drives stored within such arrays are normally kept cool using either air flow or cooled liquid.
Drive arrays that use liquid cooling require that the drives be isolated from the liquid to prevent direct contact. In such cases, typically each drive will be placed within its own housing. When positioning such arrays, they must be located near a liquid source if they are going to be in use for a length of time. Furthermore, as each drive is encased individually, the storage space per drive is increased.
Air cooled drive arrays are often located in cool locations, such as air conditioned rooms or warehouses, which may not be available when using mobile servers and portable drives. Furthermore, large fans are often placed near the drive array to circulate air, as heat dissipation for air cooled hard drives usually involves blowing air across the surface of the drive. Alternatively a large number of small fans operated at very high revolutions per minute (RPMs) may be used to push air by and though the small spaces between the hard drives to help control the heat. The more processing of data done by the drives, the more heat produced and thus the faster the fans must turn to help cool the drives.
For the reasons described above, servers and hard drive arrays face difficulties when used in locations not suited for a cool environment. For example film crews require servers and drive arrays for storing the content created, however they are not usually in locations artificially cooled (and may even be outdoors in very hot environments, such as deserts), and the drives and arrays cannot be so loud so as to interrupt filming (thus also preventing the use of noisy fans). Furthermore the array should be easily transportable so that, for example, an individual can place the array in carry-on luggage.